Mets Lose To Cubs 5-2 After Bats and Bassitt Struggle

Mets RHP Chris Bassitt (Photo Credits to Frank Franklin II-AP)

 The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs tonight at Citi Field to snap their two-game winning streak and dropped their record to 89-53.

RHP Chris Bassitt had a scoreless top of the first, but in the top of the second, he gave up a solo homer to CF Rafael Ortega.

Bassitt ran into more trouble in the top of the third after he gave up a lead-off walk to 1B Alfonso Rivas and two batters later, a two-run homer to 2B Zach McKinstry.

Bassitt had another difficult inning in the top of the fourth after he gave up a lead-off walk to LF Ian Happ and then 1B Pete Alonso made an error on a pickoff attempt which allowed Happ to advance to second.

Later in the inning, Bassitt gave up a RBI single to Rivas and was then taken out.

His final line was 3.2 innings, five hits, five runs, two walks and two strikeouts.

RHP Tommy Hunter followed with 1.1 scoreless innings.

RHP Trevor May threw a scoreless top of the sixth.

RHP Mychal Givens threw two scoreless innings in the top of the seventh and eighth innings.

LHP Joely Rodriguez threw a scoreless top of the ninth.

In the bottom of the first, LF Mark Canha struck out with the based loaded and two outs.

After scoreless innings in the bottom of the second and third, in the bottom of the fourth, Canha and 3B Eduardo Escobar singled and two batters later, catcher James McCann drove in McCann with a RBI single.

In the bottom of the sixth, Escobar tripled with two outs, but then RF Tyler Naquin struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, 2B Jeff McNeil and 1B Pete Alonso singled to start the inning and then DH Daniel Vogelbach walked to load the bases with no out.

Canha came up next and struck out and then Escobar hit a shallow fly ball to center that was not deep enough to score McNeil.

Pinch-hitter Darin Ruf came up next to hit for Naquin and then flew out to right to end the inning.

SS Francisco Lindor added a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth.

The bats struggled all night with men on base going for 1-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 runners on base.

The Mets next game is tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 13 at home against the Cubs at 7:10 p.m.